FAQ: What is the Maintenance Like For a Natural Swimming Pool/Pond?
Unlike a traditional pool that relies on regular doses of chlorine -- which can cost hundreds of dollars each year and involves frequent water tests and regular vacuuming-- in a Total Habitat Natural Swimming Pool/Pond the built-in biological filtration system is there to do the heavy lifting!
NSP's typically require more maintenance up front, as you are establishing and growing the pool's ecosystem, then less and less maintenance over time as the system matures. Think of it like a garden: You first have to prepare the earth, plant the seeds and wait for the plants to grow, helping them along with proper watering and sunlight. Then, once the plants are established and the garden is flourishing, you may only need to prune it here and there. Growing a NSP is much the same!
Startup:
When a Natural Swimming Pool/Pond is first turned on, the plumbing system is activated immediately and the water begins to circulate through the biological filter then up to the surface to collect oxygen. During startup, we seed the biological filter with beneficial bacteria (double dose), adding a bit of pond dye to the water to help prevent string algae from outcompeting the new bacteria colony. Later during the first swimming season and at the start of the 2nd summer, we typically add another dose of beneficial bacteria.
Regular Maintenance:
Unlike a traditional, white-bottomed pool, in a NSP, a leaf or a bit of natural debris is not unsightly, which means you really don't need to vacuum or net out your pool on a regular basis. Like traditional pools, most Natural Swimming Pool/Ponds are equipped with a mechanical skimmer that skims leaves and debris from the water surface. The net inside the skimmer will need to be emptied out periodically when it becomes full.
Annual Maintenance:
Most of our Natural Swimming Pool/Ponds are designed to run all year long (often at a lower, more energy efficient speed during the winter), with no need to cover or drain! During the non-swimming months you can enjoy your NSP like you would any natural pond -- if it freezes over, you can ice-skate! Over time, a healthy NSP will develop a bio-film or "living patina" on surfaces underwater. To keep this bio-film in check, we recommend an annual Spring Cleaning, where you net out debris that has sunk to the bottom and vacuum the surface of the planted filter area with a pond vac. During this Spring Cleaning is a great time to turn your variable speed pumps back up to the summer setting and add more beneficial bacteria to your biological filter. This is also a good time to add a bit of pond dye to help prevent string algae issues as the water warms back up.
For natural pool maintenance products, head to Everything Natural Pools. If you're ready to learn more about natural pools, check out the eBook and online courses available on The Natural Pool Academy! Ready to build? The Natural Pool Academy has construction plans too.
NSP's typically require more maintenance up front, as you are establishing and growing the pool's ecosystem, then less and less maintenance over time as the system matures. Think of it like a garden: You first have to prepare the earth, plant the seeds and wait for the plants to grow, helping them along with proper watering and sunlight. Then, once the plants are established and the garden is flourishing, you may only need to prune it here and there. Growing a NSP is much the same!
Startup:
When a Natural Swimming Pool/Pond is first turned on, the plumbing system is activated immediately and the water begins to circulate through the biological filter then up to the surface to collect oxygen. During startup, we seed the biological filter with beneficial bacteria (double dose), adding a bit of pond dye to the water to help prevent string algae from outcompeting the new bacteria colony. Later during the first swimming season and at the start of the 2nd summer, we typically add another dose of beneficial bacteria.
Regular Maintenance:
Unlike a traditional, white-bottomed pool, in a NSP, a leaf or a bit of natural debris is not unsightly, which means you really don't need to vacuum or net out your pool on a regular basis. Like traditional pools, most Natural Swimming Pool/Ponds are equipped with a mechanical skimmer that skims leaves and debris from the water surface. The net inside the skimmer will need to be emptied out periodically when it becomes full.
Annual Maintenance:
Most of our Natural Swimming Pool/Ponds are designed to run all year long (often at a lower, more energy efficient speed during the winter), with no need to cover or drain! During the non-swimming months you can enjoy your NSP like you would any natural pond -- if it freezes over, you can ice-skate! Over time, a healthy NSP will develop a bio-film or "living patina" on surfaces underwater. To keep this bio-film in check, we recommend an annual Spring Cleaning, where you net out debris that has sunk to the bottom and vacuum the surface of the planted filter area with a pond vac. During this Spring Cleaning is a great time to turn your variable speed pumps back up to the summer setting and add more beneficial bacteria to your biological filter. This is also a good time to add a bit of pond dye to help prevent string algae issues as the water warms back up.
For natural pool maintenance products, head to Everything Natural Pools. If you're ready to learn more about natural pools, check out the eBook and online courses available on The Natural Pool Academy! Ready to build? The Natural Pool Academy has construction plans too.
